Just An Ever After
by ApicalRadiolarian
Summary: It is very awkward to live your life well into your twenties and finally realize, on your twenty-seventh birthday, that you won't be given a happy ending.
1. Chapter 1

It is very awkward to live your life well into your twenties and finally realize, on your twenty-seventh birthday, that you won't be given a happy ending.

It was November 13, I was 27, and I was at a hellish birthday party which consisted about seven people. And most of them hated me. I had been pretty much a bitch since Sam left. I mean, at this point it was more out of habit than because of him. And also I wasn't 27. Not really. I mean, I had lived 27 years. But my body was stuck at 20, where it had been when I phased, thanks to Jake's stupid leech pals.

I sat in the corner of the couch, making myself as small as possible. My mom was talking with Charlie, her fiancée, Jake was doodling about with the halfling, who appeared about 11, while Bella hovered, and Seth was chatting animatedly with Edward about something scientific. I had put my foot down when the entire clan tried to come. Mostly, I was miserable, and I was pretty sure this party was more about them than me.

"Hey. You about ready for cake?" I smelled him coming. He still reeked of vamp.

"Aren't I always?" I said, referencing our insatiable wolf hunger.

They brought it out and sang, in incredibly off-key voices, and it was gone in seconds. I barely managed to wolf down - haha wolf… shut up, Leah- my piece without Seth snatching it from my hands. Everyone cleared out. I couldn't think, so I went for a run. Jake and Seth were doing patrols.

 _Yo yo big sis. How's it feel to be nearly thirty?_

 _Can it. I'm just passing through._

 _I love anything to distract me from the Big Alpha._

 _HEY. I heard that._

 _No offense bro, but you've been raving about Nessie's multiplication tables for ages._

 _Well, could YOU do that when YOU were 5 years old?_

 _Isn't she like, 11?_

 _Whatever._

 _Ok guys later._

 _Leah?_

 _Jake?_

 _Happy Birthday!_

I phased back before responding. "Thanks, asshole." He didn't hear. I had ran to a cliff that looked over the ocean. It was one of my favorite places to think. Seeing the stars and the sea made me feel like destiny was out there, waiting for me.

Then I thought about Mom and Charlie. Emily and Sam. Jared and Kim. Jake and Nessie. Hell, even Bella and her leech. When would my turn for love come? Shit, when would my turn for happiness come? When would people stop dying and leaving and falling in love?

When would I get my happy ending?

But what if your story isn't written with a happy ending? My story wasn't, I realized. My story was abandoned, like the author thought, "Eh. Her life sucks. And so she lived… forever." I was just left to literally run in circles around the same house of leeches for the rest of my life. That was when I realized I had to leave.


	2. Chapter 2

Leah's Escape Plan

Pack a bag

Find wheels

Sneak out

Get the hell away

Don't get caught

Don't shift

Ok. I was 27 years old. I could handle myself, obviously. The pack should know this by now. Therefore, even if I did get caught, no one could say anything, right? Jake would never Alpha me to stay here. Especially when he left for a few weeks when the bloodsucker took Bella. The real problem would be Seth. Ok, the kid was like, 24, but he was still 16 in my book. And he still looked like an overgrown ten year old. I could barely imagine never seeing him again. I mean, maybe it isn't so bad here. I could stand to stay for Se-NO. No no no no. Leah, stop. Would Seth want you to stay here and be unhappy? Hell no. Also, what the hell do you think would happen when he imprints? Any Leah-worshipping bone in his body would shift to anonymous-stranger-whom-I-just-met loving. Ugh. I sooooo don't need to be here for that. Ok.

1\. Pack a bag. Pretty easy. Abruptly bursting into a huge dog whenever I was vaguely pissed off, which was pretty often, had made it so I had no intact clothing. I threw my few T-shirts and shorts into a canvas bag and crossed that item off of the list. I lugged it downstairs and was hiding it behind a bush when…

"Leah Clearwater, _what_ are you doing in my begonias?"

"Hey Mom. You look nice today." I attempted distraction.

"Hon, I can see through your distraction technique any day. Now, what is going on?"

"I, er, am stashing clothing for when I shift!"  
"Okay. Don't tell your poor, _lonely_ mother. Fine!" I rolled my eyes. "Lunch is in twenty minutes! Maybe put something nice on, hm? Bella's cousin is visiting." Oh yeah. Leechlover's kin was coming to meet her leech. Being the stepmother, Sue had decided to invite him for lunch. Being Sue, she had decided that the two of us were meant to be. And the rest of the pack had agreed.

"Pass the potatoeeesss!" called Jacob, reaching over my plate to grab the bowl. "So… Andre? What exactly do you do?" Bella's cousin turned out to be pretty much a male version of Bella. He was pale, quiet, annoying, bloodsucking, bratty, stupid, self-centered, ok, ok, maybe I am getting a tad carried away. But you know, he had the whole mahogany hair, brown eyes, pale skin, clumsy thing going on. If we were meant to be, forget running away, I would just throw myself at a vampire or something.

"Um, I sell cars." He said, blushing. Hm. Cars... "What do you d-d-do?" He was very intimidated by the huge wolves and vampires surrounding him, as any rational person should be. I guess he wasn't just like Bella.

"We are kind of like the police force on the Rez," Jake said, the practiced lie easily spilling through his lips.

"I-I'd bet there isn't much crime," Andre glanced pointedly at Jake's shirtless upper body. I let out a surprised laugh. Didn't expect a joke from his sort. He immediately turned bright red. I winked. The rest of the table looked on, shocked. It had been a while since I had smiled, let alone laugh or flirt. Oh, if only they knew…

"So, _Andre_ ," I said, drawing out his name, "how long are you here?"

"I, er, I am driving out tomorrow…?"

"Leah. Leah Clearwater."

"Leah."

"Leaving so soon?" He was now rivaling the tomatoes in the salad for brightness.

"I have a few bikes in my truck that I need to um, deliver."

"Marvelous." Finally fate was in my favor.


	3. Chapter 3

That night, patrol seemed to last forever. I couldn't stop thinking about the black Harley waiting for me at the edge of the woods. Luckily, I was on my own for now, but I would need to watch it when we checked in. Earlier today I had picked the lock on poor Andre's truck and stolen the cheapest looking bike to be polite.

 _Why are you so happy?_ My solitude interrupted.

 _Okay, so now I need an excuse to be in a good mood? No wonder I think you're an asshat._

 _Or maybe you are happy to see me!_

 _One, I can't see you, and two, you are a slimy toad with garlic root for brains._

 _Methinks the lady doth protest too much!_ A cheery voice called.

 _Shut up, Seth!_

 _Hey, pal, you have a good point… Leah has a cruuuush!_

 _I won't even deign that with a blush._

 _Wait, J-dawg, maybe it isn't you… maybe it's that French chap… Andre…_

 _Ha no. Seth, he isn't French just because he is named Andre, and I do NOT have a crush on him._

 _Ooooooh! Leah and Andre sitting in a tree!_

 _Jake, you are so immature. Ok. I'm outta here. Later, losers._

I phased back with a sigh of relief and pulled on my clothing. I looked at the beautiful bike before me and sighed. Freedom. Release. At last.

I was well into Montana when it happened. One second I was about to be passed by some shitty minivan, next second I was rolling over and over and over into a ditch. I had been sideswiped. I was full of rage and it took every bit of self control I had to keep from phasing. I looked around to get a license plate or something, but the van was disappearing and the road was deserted. Or almost deserted. Also in the ditch, and also a victim of the rogue van, I suspect, was some furry mass. It moved. It whined. And somehow, I understood it. Her. She was definitely a her.

She was a beautiful tan and white collie, big brown eyes, soft fur, and absolutely caked in mud. She was also covered in another substance- blood, my nose deciphered. She whined again, and I learned that her back legs were broken and she had a nasty cut down her stomach. I had to get her to a vet or something.

"Okay, girl. We're going for a ride." Luckily, my bike was barely damaged, just a few scratches, so I heaved her up onto the back and took off.

Spoons, Montana. It was a shitty little shack of a town, one main road, two traffic lights, everyone clearly knows everything about everyone. I mean, I didn't know that for sure, but a few old ladies had passed by with that air about them. And everyone was gossiping about me. Whatever. I was used to it. The last thing I cared about right now was what a few small town hicks thought about my hair or my bike or my bloody dog.

"Hello, how can I help you, dear?" The receptionist at the vet's was middleaged, about as old as Sue, and had perfectly curled greying hair in a little bob around her head. She gave the impression of being capable, which is why I was surprised when she didn't see the injured animal in my arms and assume that was why I was here. Duh.

"Ummm…" I kind of pushed Sandra (as she told me her name was) onto the counter.

"Oh dear. What happened here?"

"We were side swiped by a van," I said. "She broke her hind legs and cut up her stomach."

"And you, dear? Are you okay?" I glanced down and saw that I was covered in blood. My leg was badly bruised, and I sensed a few cracked ribs.

"Oh, I'm fine, this is all hers," I lied. It was better than explaining why I was completely fine tomorrow.

"If you say so, dear. I am Dr. Linda Fronz. You may call me Linda."

"You are the vet?"

"Of course," she said, with a laugh, "In a town like this, there are hardly enough people to have a vet's office, let alone secretaries and other luxuries." She took Sandra into another room, gesturing for me to follow.

As she put braces on her legs and sewed up her stomach, she explained to me how the town was founded during the Gold Rush and then nearly deserted after, how there were actually a lot of animal injuries around here due to the nearby highway, and how her family had been living here for decades, and currently she lived above the office, alone, having lost her husband and baby a while back.

I instantly took a liking to her, which was strange because I never liked anybody, but I think I was changing, the further I got from La Push, and I think I liked this change.

Linda finished wiping Sandra off, and, with a whine from the dog, she set her on the ground. Sandra immediately hobbled to me, rubbing on my legs.

"Leah?"

"Yes?'

"How did you know what was wrong with her?" Shit.

"I, er, I'm good with animals…"

"Hm. You know… well, I know that we've just met, and you probably are headed somewhere…"

"Linda, what is it?"

"Would you like to work with me? As temporarily as you need it to be. I can even provide board, and really, it might be better for Sandra to have some rest time, I mean-"

"I would love to." Things were looking up.


	4. Chapter 4

This vet job turned out to be a bit harder than I thought. As perhaps I should have known, the whole one-with-the-animals thing only worked for dogs, and even though we were in Boonies, Montana, dogs were a minority in the shelter. Today I was assisting in the egg laying of a particularly temperamental she-snake by the name of Tabitha. Hissing and snapping were the least of my worries, however. Linda had promised to defenestrate me if I dropped an egg, and I had no desire to go flying out a window.

"Okay buster. Let's get those lil dudes out of there. On the count of three, push!" I helped her by angling her wriggling body and sure enough, the eggs plopped into the basket I had ready. "One, two, three baby snakes! You are gonna be a great mama."

"I thought you were supposed to wait to count until _after_ they hatched," an unfamiliar voice called. I spun around.

"Oh, hi! Didn't see you there. Let me just grab Dr. Fronz."

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you can help me. I'm Ailyn." Oh boy. Sorry, _oh girl_. Ailyn was hauling a disgustingly bloody cat. "And this is Fitz. He got hit by a car. Some shitty minivan."

"Oh my gosh! I got sideswiped by a shitty minivan a few weeks ago! Poor dude."

"Guess it's a local. I cannot stand bad drivers."

"Me neither."

"So.."

"What?" I stared at the girl. Ok, woman. She was about my height, which is rare, and seemed to know how to use her limbs properly given how easily she was cradling the little beast.

"You want to take this guy? You know, check him out?"

"Checking you out… I am not!" She laughed and I turned red, realizing my mistake. "Oh, sorry. Ha ha… of course, give him here." Ailyn handed over the thing and I cringed as he tensed and immediately aimed to scratch me, yowling as he went. It had turned out the whole wolf thing wasn't particularly amenable to cats, and, after the Mr. Fuzzy incident, Linda had relieved me of all cat-related duties. The cat's hollering just served to heighten the chaos, getting the attention of Tabitha, who abandoned her egg basket and slithered from the table to the floor, where she began nipping at anything that moved, especially my feet, which were engaged in a "get this freaking cat off me" dance. Ailyn observed, torn between horror and amusement. Luckily, Linda, my savior, my friend, showed up, assessed the situation, and dealt with the most immediate threat.

"Leah, I've got Tabby and her children, you deal with whatever that furry thing is supposed to be." She snatched the basket and curled the snake around her middle and rushed out of the room. So much for savior, I definitely take that back.


	5. Chapter 5

"Soooooo my cat?" Ailyn snatched Fuzz back from me. I tried to hide my relief while taking quick stock of the damage the little devil had caused me. Tons of little scratches. No problem.

"Yeah. Uh, not too good with the felines."

"No kidding. Well, I guess if you tell me what to do…"

"You could fix a double hernia and a cracked spine?"

"Okay, maybe not. How are you gonna fix him if poor wittle mr Fitzypie won't stop moving?

"Don't talk like that, it's revolting. We're gonna have to knock him out."

"Um, no! Doesn't that have a ton of risks? My buddy cannot handle that, he's had three concussions!"

"It's put him out or put him down, Miss."

"Why are you so polite all of the sudden?"

"Why are you so insane all of the time?"

"Um, okayyy. Where did that come from?" She scrunched up her face, offended.

"Your cat has had three concussions, what he's got now, and who knows what and you still keep it around?" She looked sheepish.

"I'm a little forgetful sometimes… you know, disorganization…" Oh goodness. She was one of _those_ girls. The type that are so freaking adorable and clumsy and oh my goodness what a little mess and their hair falls all over the place in adorable little bohemian curls and they wear lots of adorable color-coordinating jewelry and they can't even take care of their own pets.

"Hmph." I took a minute to size her up, eager to validify my disgusting stereotyping, but boy, was I surprised. Yes, she had the long honey curls, bouncing wildly around her face, but she was also clad in army pants and boots, topped with a black tank top that showed exactly how much help _this_ chica needed lifting heavy boxes. Her guns were almost as defined as mine, and I spent my downtime with fur! Well, at least up until a few weeks ago.

Speaking of, I wondered what the pack was up to, if they'd begun following me, whether they'd even cared- or _noticed_ \- that I'd left. I also wondered what type of weird pack karma stuff would kick in for ditching the guys, because it couldn't possibly be as simple as walking away, could it?

"Ahem. Tough girl. My cat?" Oh right. I guess my thoughts had wandered a tad.

"Me, tough girl? Look at you. Also, I'm…" I hesitated. Which age to give? I settled for an average. "… 23. Hardly a girl anymore."

"Really? So you must have just finished school? I'm about to start my last year! Super excited to be almost done."

"Oh? Where do you go?" I asked, carefully avoiding confirming or denying my own non-existent college education. She blushed at that and mumbled something. I pounced. "Sorry, darling. Can't hear you when you talk to your shoes!" I leaned over her cat and tilted her chin up with my hand. OH boy, those were some _intense_ eyes. Big and green and full of secrets, lined with lots of black, and bedecked with thick curtain-y eyelashes.

"So, Fitz. You said something about a cracked spine?" I nodded, dropping the school thing, for now.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah. Um, there's not really much to do, I've just got to brace it, give you some vitamin supplements, you know the drill. The hernias are pretty much self-solving so long as the guy doesn't move. Really the spine too. Your job is to keep him still for a few weeks, then bring him back."

"Oh. It doesn't matter much, the bringing back?"  
"What? Yes it does, we'll be taking the brace off, checking the healing, really anything could go wrong, so it really matters to have a follow up."

"But any vet's office could do it?" Oh. "I'll be back at school, is the thing." I marvelled at the disappointment I felt. That was ridiculous. Leah Clearwater did NOT feel disappointed at not seeing people. She rejoiced. Even if that person happened to be some cute girl in fatigues. Wait. _WHAT?_ Leah Clearwater _definitely_ didn't think people were cute, especially not girls, er, women. I shook my head, trying to clear out the horrid invasion of fluffy bunnies frolicking under rainbows and other ridiculously happy images. I was bitter. I was angry… wait, no, I wasn't! That was precisely what I was running away from. Oh, ughhh.

"What are you running away from?"

"Huh?" Oh shit. I guess maybe a little bit of that came out the ol' talking hole. "Er, how much of that did you hear?"

"Uh, no real words until… um, fluffy bunnies frolicking? Which you were running… towards?" She looked vaguely amused.

"Just give me the cat." I stuck a shot up it's butt the second I got it, giving it only a few seconds to try to turn my face into flesh ribbons. As it left new scratches on my clear skin, I noticed Ailyn staring, probably wondering what had happened to the numerous wounds it had previously inflicted. Sorry, he. He not it. He not it. I chanted this in my mind, terrified to slip up in front of its.. Ok _his_ … tougher-than-I-thought owner. I mean, I know, I'm a werewolf, but that is no reason to go picking fights with buff ladies who randomly come in with half dead cats.

"So. You're Leah?"

"Yep."

"And I'm Ailyn."

"You've said."

"I'm 22 and you're 23."  
"Listening comprehension- A+."

"I like cats. You're a vet."

"That's a stretch. What are you getting at here?"

"Will you come to my game night tomorrow?"

" _What_? Um, no. I don't really do 'games'." Actually, I'd just done quite enough to last my entire immortal life. The pack had weekly mandatory game nights and I'd discovered it was a little bit less miserable if I won every time. So I got a few library how-to books and became a whiz at games of all sorts.

"Don't do games? Oh come on. It is such fun! My husband and I throw one every month with our friends- don't worry, they aren't married, you definitely wouldn't feel weird- and it's sooooo awesome. We'll have food?" I stared. Yep, the one thing, so important, so small, that I had failed to notice in my perusal of her form had been the little band on her left ring finger. Phew! Cute lady was taken. I didn't have to worry about any strange things stirring in my belly and I definitely didn't have to deal with the whole new identity thing. Husband. Shit. How come all the good people already found people? And I bet he's just freaking perfect. I realized she was waiting for an answer. I finished bracing her cat and patted his head, placing him into her arms.

"Okay. Food always gets me. Warning, I eat a lot." She laughed in relief and relaxed back, alerting me to the fact that she'd been up on her toes in anticipation, balancing and teetering just like my decision. She hurried out the door, worried that I'd back out, probably, after calling over her shoulder, "Text me at the number on the sheet! I'll let you know time and place!"

And therein lay the first obstacle. With the pack's group mind, I'd never needed a cellphone. It had seemed such a frivolous expense when everyone who talked to me could talk in my head most of the time. It wasn't like I had a Kim or a Nessie or something. I locked up the shop and headed home, allowing myself one glance and half a sniff in the direction of the forest, the only acknowledgement I gave to the growing need of my wolf for a long run. At this rate, I'd soon be set off by even mild annoyances. I patted Sandra, who now was well enough to live with me, and collapsed into bed, surprisingly tired from my day.


End file.
